The 2,003-Yard Odyssey

Book excerpt: “It was a season where the impossible became possible. It was a season where the hard to believe became believable.” --Marv Levy, Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach. The 1973 Buffalo Bills made pro football history. They had an offense that broke several important rushing records during that memorable year. And they had a superstar running back by the name of O.J. Simpson, who broke a glass ceiling of sorts by becoming the first man -- and indeed the only man -- to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards in one 14-game regular season. That glory-filled accomplishment provided the celebrated culmination to this epic tale of a week-by-week journey from an initial goal to its triumphant ending. In The 2,003-Yard Odyssey: The Juice, The Electric Company, and an Epic Run for a Record, several members of that Buffalo Bills team recall their memories of that year. They discuss how that 1973 season began with a bunch of question marks, then how a boast by one of their offensive linemen led to a challenge for the whole squad to address. A major focus in this book are the feats of the incomparable O.J. Simpson, who earned pro football fame and glory with his record-breaking 1973 performance. This story recounts how Simpson set a mark that was thought of by most people to be impossible to achieve. It was an odyssey unlike any other in NFL annals, and it is explored in concentrated depth and detail within these pages. Joe Zagorski is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Pro Football Researchers Association. He has written several previous books about various teams and players of the NFL. He is also a contributing writer to the website Pro Football Journal and the administrator of the Facebook page, The NFL in the 1970s. He resides in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Marv Levy, who wrote the foreword for this book, is a coaching legend in both the United States and in Canada. He led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances from 1990 to 1993. He is also an honored member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.